Sir Frank Dicksee

Dicksee's uncle was John Robert Dicksee (1817-1905), another notable painter, as was his sister Margaret Dicksee (1858-1903), and brother Herbert Thomas Dicksee (1862-1942). The family lived in the Bloomsbury area of London. Frank's first encounter with Art was in his father's workshop, before enrolling at the Royal Academy Schools in 1870. (The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London, England). Some of the more famous visiting lecturers were Frederic Leighton, and Millais. Dicksee was a very conscientious student, who was soon discovered by his teachers for his promising talent in painting. He won many awards, among others, a Gold Medal in 1875, participating in his first exhibition at the Royal Academy in London.

Similar to other artists of the 19th century, Dicksee received requests for book and magazine illustration, among others, from the Cornhill magazine. In 1877 his famous painting "Harmony" (see below) was exhibited at the Academy with wonderful acceptance by the layperson audience as well as the Art experts. The Trustees of The Chantrey Bequest purchased this painting for 350 guineas.

Frank Dicksee remained affiliated with the Royal Academy throughout his career, and he became ARA in 1881, and was elected a full RA ten years later. "Startled" (see below) was his Diploma work. In this painting we see a mother and child who were swimming in a lake, when all of a sudden a boat appeared so they are fleeing the water and gathering up their clothes. One can see Dicksee's good taste as established by his attempt to only using minimum nudity in the painting, just for expressing the embarrassment of the shy ladies; not indulging in nudity as a painter with bad taste would do. Dicksee's point is to demonstrate a real-life moment of embarrassment, modesty and shyness, which he had accomplished in the painting perfectly well, to the same time keeping the viewer's mind in motion: Did the ladies manage to escape into the woods just in time?



This period of Dicksee's career was marked by continuous success.

Many of Dicksee's pictures depict historical scenes and legends, expressing passion, turbulence and emotions. He also painted a great number of portraits for both male and female customers. One of the best paintings he ever made is entitled Two Crowns, see below:



In this painting Dicksee juxtaposes the crude, ruthless power of the king with the peaceful, gentle and fragile female figure whose crown is made of flowers.

In this painting Dicksee painted Miranda, and this is one of my all time favorites from Dicksee (although it is a hard choice). The angelic face was painted in such intricate detail, and the colors so subtle, that only a true master of Art could paint such portrait! Look at the attention to detail: the coral hair-fasteners, the pearl choker, etc. Dicksee is also admired for his mastery in drapery painting.

Like other Pre-Raphaelite painters (e.g., Leighton, Waterhouse) Dicksee also showed interest in occult and mysterious topics such as sorcerers, magic crystal balls, and medieval symbolism. The painting below is entitled The Symbol:



A young couple of noble standing is seen here taking a stroll through town, accompanied by their servants and entertained by street musicians. While the young lady is busy picking an orange from a nearby tree, her spouse is more pre-occupied by the strange merchandise offered up to him by a Chinese street vendor, in which he believes to have discovered some omen.

Many of Dicksee's paintings depict beautiful women whom he felt were masterpieces made by God. In the next picture, the theme is vanity. The picture is entitled: The Mirror. One can literally read the thoughts of this young lady. She was probably asking herself while looking into that mirror whether she is still as beautiful as she was the day before? The passage of time, the ultimate vulnerability of human beauty to aging is also expressed.

Dicksee was often criticized for his "old fashioned" Artistic style; yet I love his works exactly because of that! Not being too big a fan of modern Art (with its often amorf figures and shapes, and confusing messages) I could not get enough of painters like Dicksee, Leighton, Gainsborough, Waterhouse, and even older masters, like Botticelli, Caravaggio, just to mention a few. The rich colors, fancy wardrobe, interesting scenes and fine details take the viewer on a journey like in a time-machine and afford a glimpse into culture and history of those earlier times, from the. One could think of this also as a series of snap-shots into significant eras long before our time.

In the painting below, the viewer can't help but wonder the story behind the scene. Is this a suitor who was first turned away, then accepted? Maybe the father of the young lady is opposed to their marriage, because she is of noble standing and he is not? Or, is this a heart-breaker, a seducer, a man who first failed to realize what treasure is lodged in this lady - and now wants to make amends? Or, is this a man returning from a foreign war or state assignment, eager to run to his beloved who had been holding his heart throughout his ordeal - just to find out that she married someone else in the meantime? The udoubted question is: Will you be mine? Although we might never know the entire story behind this painting, it is certain that Dicksee excelled in this painting by showing the missed eye-contact (the lady is looking above the man's head, to a distant point), the despair and suffering on the man's face, the almost apathetic, resigned expression of the woman, as if she'd given up all hope for a reunion already.

Dicksee was elected President of the Royal Academy in 1924, and many envied him for this position (mostly those who had zero or little talent themselves, as is common in life even today). However, Dicksee was well-known for being tactful, kind and considerate, therefore in the long run his appointment turned out to be a blessing even to his (very few) opponents.

In this picture, richly cled ladies are playing musical instruments and singing a duet. They could be sisters. The painting is yet another testimony of Dicksee's drapery painting skills, exquisite colors, playful exhibits of light and shade.